Performance cars powered by electric motors rather than gasoline engines are not exactly prolific, but this sweet and shiny blue Mercedes-Benz isn't the first performance EV. Mercedes-Benz unveiled the new electric supercar in Paris and it's called the SLS AMG Coupe Electric Drive. The car is an all-electric version of the SLS AMG coupe notable for its massive gasoline-powered V8 and gullwing doors.

Mercedes-Benz is calling the SLS AMG Coupe Electric Drive, "the most exclusive and dynamic way to drive an electric car."

In the Electric Drive version, the hulking V8 engine was replaced with four electric motors. Each wheel gets its own individual electric motor and together they produce a combined 740hp along with 737 lb-ft of torque. The car is capable of hitting 62 mph in 3.9 seconds. The gasoline-powered version of the car produces 583 HP and can hit 60 mph in 3.6 seconds. The EV has a driving range of 155 miles and a top speed of 155 mph.

The reason the Electric Drive version of the car is slower despite having significantly more power is the added weight of the battery packs. The added weight is also sure to affect handling and braking compared to the gasoline version, but we’ll have to wait for official road tests to see if this is the case.

If you plug this electric vehicle into a standard wall outlet at home, it will take an eternity (20 hours) to recharge the battery pack. Mercedes-Benz, however, will offer a quick charger able to recharge the battery packs in three hours. Exactly how much that quick charger will cost is unannounced.

Just in case you were wondering, this is more than a concept vehicle. Mercedes-Benz plans to produce the car at a cost of $537,930 each. That's far from cheap and if you can pony up the money to buy the electric supercar, it doesn't really matter how much that quick charger costs does it?

Mercedes-Benz showcased the precursor to the SLS AMG Coupe Electric Drive, the SLS AMG E-Cell, two years ago.

quote: It took a while for combustion engine vehicles to become more practical than horse and cart as well.

I don't care. Only interested in EV's because of the battery tech and it's a car. More interested in the tech. Not interested in owning one, at least not in the next 10 years. And even then, I'm hoping I own something old and classic (got my eye on a 69 BMW with a 89 BMW engine in it) by that time. Daily driver will be a used beater.